MIKA (w/Sara Bareilles) @ 9:30 Club - Washington, D.C. (6/12/07)
Back in DC. Back at the 9:30 Club to see Mika live for a second time. Anyone who happened to read my first Mika concert review probably gathered that his live act is truly something special and mesmerizing. It's unique in that it's unlike the average concert scene down to the people, the music, and of course the performer himself. The second show I witnessed Mika perform in front of my eyes was no different. In fact, I'd say in many ways Mika's show was better the second time around. I could definitely see many expansions and additions to his show that weren't evident at the Gramercy Theatre show in NYC only three months earlier.
This post is long. So there's lots of cuts. Read whatever interests you...
I took a cab from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History to the 9:30 Club which was about a fifteen minute drive away and clearly much too far for me to venture on my own. I had never ridden in a cab before let alone a cab in central D.C. The fare was a little costly for me at $10.80 but worth it since I wanted to be at the club and in line a couple hours before doors actually opened. I bid farewell to my mother who expressed a look of concern and caution as she told me to "Have fun!" and "be careful! Call me as soon as you're dropped off." I think sometimes my mother forgets I'm almost 21 and an adult...(I admit sometimes I do too).
I felt strange mix of nervousness and excitement riding in the cab, on the way to the club. I kept going through my purse making sure I hadn't forgotten anything. And if I had at this point it was already too late. The cab was air conditioned which felt so wonderful since I had been walking outside in the hot D.C. parading from museum to museum - some of which did not have air conditioning. Once I was satisfied with the items I was toting in my purse and stopped fiddling with my hair I calmed down a a great deal. I was able to just enjoy the ride now and think about how much fun I would be having in just a few short hours. The cab ride only last 15 minutes but somehow it felt even shorter to me. Probably because I couldn't stop checking my reflection every minute or so or that my mind was already somewhere else.
When I had arrived in front of the club I was only mildly shocked to see that a decent line had already developed. I did a mental head count and saw that there were only ten people ahead of me. This number was a bit larger than my first Mika experience just three months earlier. As the night wore on I drew even more contrasts and comparisons between my first Mika experience and my second (I'm sure all will be mentioned at some point). At the first show, far less people were aware of the musical insanity and spunkiness that is Mika. Only two other fans were ahead of me then and I learned that they both had only arrived minutes before I had.
Once I actually joined the queue and secured my place as 11th in line my concern shift to one that had been plaquing me for weeks: my ticket. I had had issues with my ticket to the show since I prompty purchased it on the 16th of April. Yes, an exact date. I was so quick to buy a ticket! I couldn't miss another chance to see Mika - especially at a place relatively closer to where I live! Anyway, I chose the option of the ticket being mailed to me. Will call can be so frustrating and unorganized at times. My ticket should have arrived at my house in at least two weeks but it didn't. Then an entire month went buy and no notice of a concert ticket was seen in my mail box. I constantly emailed customer service about my lost or missing ticket. I kept being assured it would arrive "no less than 48 hours on the date of the event." But I was convinced my ticket would not show up two days before the show since it hadn't shown up two months before the show. Finally a week before the show I grew restless and tired so I dialed the 1-800 number to speak with someone directly about my situation. The man on the other line was very friendly and helpful. I explaned to him my problem and told me that since I had already purchased the ticket and paid in full regardless of whether the show had been sold out or not I was still guranteed entry to the show. Then he told me he would contact the 9:30 club's box office and have my ticket redirected to will call. This relieved me SO much...until the actual day of show and where I was surrounded by smiling, happy fans who already had their tickets in hand. It was time to see if my ticket situation had been resolved.
I asked the friendly looking woman in front of me who was holding a black umbrella to block the sun (and later rain) from herself and her pre-teen daughter if she knew if the will call booth was open. She said "I believe it is." And I thanked her then proceed to the front of the line where the will call booth was located, still feeling very worried about the status of my ticket. But once I slid my photo ID under the door and the woman in the booth asked for my name then slid a plain white envelope back I knew my worries were over! I was now entirelly relieved.
After finally holding my ticket in my hand I now rejoined the line of smiling, happy fans and was now content along with them. I befriended the mother (Marianne ) and daughter in front of me. Both were extrememly friendly and I learned were also member of MFC but do not post regularly (like myself)!
Also while waiting in the line I met a few other members of the MikaFanClub. Some were a bit eccentric and extrememly excited for the show but generally very kind and sweet. Most MFCers brought gifts to give to Mika after the show. Deb (dcdeb) brought an official looking poster with the MFC logo for everyone to sign and then present to Mika. mgpm had the idea of making a mini scrapbook for Mika and I believe she collected other fan club members pages to include in her book to give to Mika. And Jennie (hoochatootch) who not only also purchased half of the flashing hearts for everyone also made a build-a-bear of a very adorable monkey wearing a "Virginia is for lovers" tee (Chew Chew) to give to Mika. The red flashing heart necklaces for each forum member to wear were a lot of fun. Hoochatootch gave me a necklace which I graciously accepted. I didn't actually think I would be given a heart necklace since I don't post a great deal. But I guess simply being a member at all was good enoughto earn a necklace! In my opinion I tihnk the flashing heart necklaces were a cute idea. And later on I heard that at the after party Mika was dubbing them "the official symbol of the Mika Fan Club." All I can say is you'll definitely be noticed if you wear one! My heart necklace actually quit working before the show even started. I think the batteries died! Oh well, that's what I get for fidling with it.
After about 45 minute of waiting in line and greeting and meeting other fellow fan club members it started to rain. At first it was light but then it began to pour! Marianne and her daughter gave me some shelter from the rain by covering me with their umbrella that they had brought along. It certainly came it handy. The storm grew a bit worse and boughts of lightening and thunder was seen and heard. The 9:30 Club workers were very kind and handed out a few umbrellas to those who had no covering. But eventually that wasn't enough. And all of us who were waiting in line at this point were taken around back and led into the basement entrance to get out of the rain. Although after beeing couped up in the very dry, and very hot basement I would have rather stood in the rain. It doesn't bother me. But still, it was a nice gesture of the club. And all of us waiting in the basement area would be allowed upstairs into the club and stage are first. After all our tickets were already torn, we had already stamped, had bags searched and for those who could not conceal or didn't want to risk it also had cameras checked. The guard searching my bag did not notice my digital camera at the bottom. And I wasn't going to show him either. So, I luckily got away with having to check my camera! This proved to be beneficial later on during the show where I became a bit brave and carefully sneaked a few pictures and video clips from the front row!
I think waiting inside the club was the worst! You grow even more anxious because you are even closer to the stage and just another minutes away showtime (which actually feel like hours). Plus I had no clue what was going on outside which kind of annoyed me. I was curious to see if another line had been forming at the front door and if those waiting outside knew more dedicated fans had arrived long before them.
While waiting in the dingy and poorly lit basement with all of the other fans you couldl faintly hear Mika and his band going through soundcheck. I could only make out a few of the songs that I knew were sure to played - Relax, Big Girl and Any Other World. Hearing a bit of the sound check gave me a renewed sense of excitement. Surely the show was going to begin soon! But as it turned out soundcheck was running late which led to doors not being opened until closer to 8pm than the originally scheduled 7pm.
So when doors finally did open and all of us waiting in the basement got the "OK" to come upstairs and claim our rightful spots infront of the stage there was a mad rush. I think a few people may have even got a bit injured. I made it upstairs safely and darted as fast as I could to the stage area. I landed a spot right up front (of course) on the right side of the stage. Again, the 9:30 club didn't have any barriers set up so I was able to lean actually on the stage. In fact we were so close to the stage equipment and everything else Mika's manager (or was he simply a part of his crew?) asked all of those in the very front to be respectful and not tamper with things on stage or pull and claw at Mika.
The lights dimmed around 8:30pm I think for the opening act, which was Sara Bareillis....more on her below!
Sara's set last a good 30-35 minutes. Then around 9:30pm Mika was on! His set was a bit longer than the first show I went to. And even though he was a bit under the weather he still interacted with the auidence a bit. He joked and said he visited the white house and how much smaller it was than the Queen's. There were some new additions to the set list than the first show I went to including two different covers he tackled. Mika played for a little over an hour and before I knew it the show was completely over by 11pm.
More details of Mika's set below...including set list and a few discriptions.
After the incredible show, I caught up with a few of the MFCers I had been waiting with all evening. We all exclaimed how amazing the show was and how brilliant Mika's performance was. Some of them were plotting on where would be the best spot to try to meet Mika afterwards and personally hand him their gifts. I unfortunately really couldn't wait with them long while they decided. It was kind of late and I had a two hour trip home.
But later I found out that all of the Mika fan clubers (who were identified by their nifty flashing hearts) were allowed to join Mika and his band at the afterparty upstairs! I could have been included in the fun if only I had stayed behind. I was a little upset but I had met Mika briefly before at the NYC show. So,I wasn't extremely dissapointed. If nothing else I was really glad that the other MFCers were able to meet him - especially since this their was first show of many. :)
Sara Bareilles (opener):
I remember Sara opening for Mika at the NYC show but I'll be honest and say I didn't pay enough attention to her set then. I was too anxious to see Mika. But this time around I listened to her entire set attentively. I still wasn't very familiar with her songs. I didn't know any of the words or most of the song names but at least I could recognize a tune or two.
Sara walked onto the stage barefoot. I believe is a staple among female singer-songwriters. Every female singer-songwriter I'm marginally a fan of has performed live barefoot at least once! I'm just making an observation...maybe being barefoot relaxes the performers? Who knows..but I sense a theme.
Moving on...Sara's set last about 30 minutes, 40 at maximum. It seemed to pass by quickly which was both good and bad. I would like to have heard more from her but on the other hand I wanted Mika to come on! She sang five or seven songs. Like I said, I wasn't entirely familiar with her music but could remember a few songs played - Love Song, a song about Vegas, a song about Miles (Many The Miles) and one she introduced as Fairytale. Fairytale, I remember because she introduced it as her final song of the night.
Set list:
RELAX
BIG GIRL
MY INTERPRETATION
BILLY BROWN
ANY OTHER WORLD
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE
RING RING
SWEET DREAMS (Eurythmics cover. Just. Wow. Incredible to watch and hear live!)
HOLY JOHNNY
HAPPY ENDING (First time hearing this live. Loved it! Mika's introduced a woman onto the stage whom he only described as "a friend from London" to sing the duet with him.)
I WANT YOU BACK (Jackson 5 cover. Amazing!! Mika's vocals are really suited for this song. It was a lot of fun to hear him sing it especially with his amount of energy!)
LOVE TODAY (A favorite, favorite, favorite song of mine! So of course I loooved seeing this live again especially with a new edition to the introduction. Before singing Mika addressed the auidence and said something to the effect of "This is where we show you what we've got and you bring it back!" This introduction was incredible. Mika manically banged on an aluminum trash can. I noticed at least two or three huge gashes and dents implanted into the can using two wooden drumsticks (which I'm guessing he borrowed from his drummer, Cherisse). After attacking the poor defenseless trash can Mika turned his back to the auidence and while being carefully balanced stood on top of Cherisse's drum set. Absolutely insane!)
GRACE KELLY (Wonderful live. As it always will be!! I'm already considering this tune a classic.)
------------------------
LOLLIPOP (Same encore again only with even more energy bursting if you can believe it! There were tons of fun attributes this time including massive, almost unhealthy amounts of confetti and gigantic balloons. All of these fun additions kept crashing down over the crowd covering everything! The confetti even landed in my mouth a few times. It was also all inside my purse and hair and even down my shirt. And at times it was hard to keep up with all off the balloons. It was a bit distracting. Much of this performance is a blur to me - nothing but mulit-colored baloons bouncing around and rainbow confetti!
But despite all of the it was still quite a spectacle and an awesome way to end the show in my opinion!!
Pictures:
A few pictures I successfully managed to capture by being stealthy since cameras were strictly forbidden. The last shot taken during the finale "Lollipop" was not taken by me. I was too busy being smothered by multi-colored confetti and enormous balloons to even think about sneaking my camera out once more for a fantastic shot of the whole scene.
Set list of Mika's guitarist Michael Cho. I had to have a photo of the set list. How else was I to remember exactly what was played other than relying only on my memory or without looking like a total nerd and hand writing it all down?
My absolute favorite picture I shot that night. There's nothing like Mika being seduced by a Big Girl dancer!
For this shot I remember I actually angled my camera on the stage to be discreet. I think it turned out pretty well.
I love this shot a great deal as well! It's almost as if you can see the enegry radiating off of Mika as he performs.
In this shot on Mika's left hand , if you look closely, you can see a few traces of the glitter he was wearing on his arms shining in the stage lights.
The next three photos were taken during "Happy Ending" when Mika introduced his female friend from London to the stage to sing with him.
(This last photo was not taken by me. It was shot by mgpm of MikaFanClub.com)
The incredible finale!! You can just see the flurry of confetti and some of the sheer chaos that was going on. All of it absolutely fun!!
Video Clips:
A handful of video clips I sneaked. I got a little brave once I started snapping photos. Why wouldn't I try my hand I recording live video? I captured snippets of a few great songs performed that night. My personal favorite clip of course being Sweet Dreams. But I do also really love the ending of Billy Brown. Crowd interactions and participations are fun!
Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics cover)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZG7aFvA4FE
Billy Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZG7aFvA4FE
Stuck In the Middle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZG7aFvA4FE
This post is long. So there's lots of cuts. Read whatever interests you...
I took a cab from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History to the 9:30 Club which was about a fifteen minute drive away and clearly much too far for me to venture on my own. I had never ridden in a cab before let alone a cab in central D.C. The fare was a little costly for me at $10.80 but worth it since I wanted to be at the club and in line a couple hours before doors actually opened. I bid farewell to my mother who expressed a look of concern and caution as she told me to "Have fun!" and "be careful! Call me as soon as you're dropped off." I think sometimes my mother forgets I'm almost 21 and an adult...(I admit sometimes I do too).
I felt strange mix of nervousness and excitement riding in the cab, on the way to the club. I kept going through my purse making sure I hadn't forgotten anything. And if I had at this point it was already too late. The cab was air conditioned which felt so wonderful since I had been walking outside in the hot D.C. parading from museum to museum - some of which did not have air conditioning. Once I was satisfied with the items I was toting in my purse and stopped fiddling with my hair I calmed down a a great deal. I was able to just enjoy the ride now and think about how much fun I would be having in just a few short hours. The cab ride only last 15 minutes but somehow it felt even shorter to me. Probably because I couldn't stop checking my reflection every minute or so or that my mind was already somewhere else.
When I had arrived in front of the club I was only mildly shocked to see that a decent line had already developed. I did a mental head count and saw that there were only ten people ahead of me. This number was a bit larger than my first Mika experience just three months earlier. As the night wore on I drew even more contrasts and comparisons between my first Mika experience and my second (I'm sure all will be mentioned at some point). At the first show, far less people were aware of the musical insanity and spunkiness that is Mika. Only two other fans were ahead of me then and I learned that they both had only arrived minutes before I had.
Once I actually joined the queue and secured my place as 11th in line my concern shift to one that had been plaquing me for weeks: my ticket. I had had issues with my ticket to the show since I prompty purchased it on the 16th of April. Yes, an exact date. I was so quick to buy a ticket! I couldn't miss another chance to see Mika - especially at a place relatively closer to where I live! Anyway, I chose the option of the ticket being mailed to me. Will call can be so frustrating and unorganized at times. My ticket should have arrived at my house in at least two weeks but it didn't. Then an entire month went buy and no notice of a concert ticket was seen in my mail box. I constantly emailed customer service about my lost or missing ticket. I kept being assured it would arrive "no less than 48 hours on the date of the event." But I was convinced my ticket would not show up two days before the show since it hadn't shown up two months before the show. Finally a week before the show I grew restless and tired so I dialed the 1-800 number to speak with someone directly about my situation. The man on the other line was very friendly and helpful. I explaned to him my problem and told me that since I had already purchased the ticket and paid in full regardless of whether the show had been sold out or not I was still guranteed entry to the show. Then he told me he would contact the 9:30 club's box office and have my ticket redirected to will call. This relieved me SO much...until the actual day of show and where I was surrounded by smiling, happy fans who already had their tickets in hand. It was time to see if my ticket situation had been resolved.
I asked the friendly looking woman in front of me who was holding a black umbrella to block the sun (and later rain) from herself and her pre-teen daughter if she knew if the will call booth was open. She said "I believe it is." And I thanked her then proceed to the front of the line where the will call booth was located, still feeling very worried about the status of my ticket. But once I slid my photo ID under the door and the woman in the booth asked for my name then slid a plain white envelope back I knew my worries were over! I was now entirelly relieved.
After finally holding my ticket in my hand I now rejoined the line of smiling, happy fans and was now content along with them. I befriended the mother (Marianne ) and daughter in front of me. Both were extrememly friendly and I learned were also member of MFC but do not post regularly (like myself)!
Also while waiting in the line I met a few other members of the MikaFanClub. Some were a bit eccentric and extrememly excited for the show but generally very kind and sweet. Most MFCers brought gifts to give to Mika after the show. Deb (dcdeb) brought an official looking poster with the MFC logo for everyone to sign and then present to Mika. mgpm had the idea of making a mini scrapbook for Mika and I believe she collected other fan club members pages to include in her book to give to Mika. And Jennie (hoochatootch) who not only also purchased half of the flashing hearts for everyone also made a build-a-bear of a very adorable monkey wearing a "Virginia is for lovers" tee (Chew Chew) to give to Mika. The red flashing heart necklaces for each forum member to wear were a lot of fun. Hoochatootch gave me a necklace which I graciously accepted. I didn't actually think I would be given a heart necklace since I don't post a great deal. But I guess simply being a member at all was good enoughto earn a necklace! In my opinion I tihnk the flashing heart necklaces were a cute idea. And later on I heard that at the after party Mika was dubbing them "the official symbol of the Mika Fan Club." All I can say is you'll definitely be noticed if you wear one! My heart necklace actually quit working before the show even started. I think the batteries died! Oh well, that's what I get for fidling with it.
After about 45 minute of waiting in line and greeting and meeting other fellow fan club members it started to rain. At first it was light but then it began to pour! Marianne and her daughter gave me some shelter from the rain by covering me with their umbrella that they had brought along. It certainly came it handy. The storm grew a bit worse and boughts of lightening and thunder was seen and heard. The 9:30 Club workers were very kind and handed out a few umbrellas to those who had no covering. But eventually that wasn't enough. And all of us who were waiting in line at this point were taken around back and led into the basement entrance to get out of the rain. Although after beeing couped up in the very dry, and very hot basement I would have rather stood in the rain. It doesn't bother me. But still, it was a nice gesture of the club. And all of us waiting in the basement area would be allowed upstairs into the club and stage are first. After all our tickets were already torn, we had already stamped, had bags searched and for those who could not conceal or didn't want to risk it also had cameras checked. The guard searching my bag did not notice my digital camera at the bottom. And I wasn't going to show him either. So, I luckily got away with having to check my camera! This proved to be beneficial later on during the show where I became a bit brave and carefully sneaked a few pictures and video clips from the front row!
I think waiting inside the club was the worst! You grow even more anxious because you are even closer to the stage and just another minutes away showtime (which actually feel like hours). Plus I had no clue what was going on outside which kind of annoyed me. I was curious to see if another line had been forming at the front door and if those waiting outside knew more dedicated fans had arrived long before them.
While waiting in the dingy and poorly lit basement with all of the other fans you couldl faintly hear Mika and his band going through soundcheck. I could only make out a few of the songs that I knew were sure to played - Relax, Big Girl and Any Other World. Hearing a bit of the sound check gave me a renewed sense of excitement. Surely the show was going to begin soon! But as it turned out soundcheck was running late which led to doors not being opened until closer to 8pm than the originally scheduled 7pm.
So when doors finally did open and all of us waiting in the basement got the "OK" to come upstairs and claim our rightful spots infront of the stage there was a mad rush. I think a few people may have even got a bit injured. I made it upstairs safely and darted as fast as I could to the stage area. I landed a spot right up front (of course) on the right side of the stage. Again, the 9:30 club didn't have any barriers set up so I was able to lean actually on the stage. In fact we were so close to the stage equipment and everything else Mika's manager (or was he simply a part of his crew?) asked all of those in the very front to be respectful and not tamper with things on stage or pull and claw at Mika.
The lights dimmed around 8:30pm I think for the opening act, which was Sara Bareillis....more on her below!
Sara's set last a good 30-35 minutes. Then around 9:30pm Mika was on! His set was a bit longer than the first show I went to. And even though he was a bit under the weather he still interacted with the auidence a bit. He joked and said he visited the white house and how much smaller it was than the Queen's. There were some new additions to the set list than the first show I went to including two different covers he tackled. Mika played for a little over an hour and before I knew it the show was completely over by 11pm.
More details of Mika's set below...including set list and a few discriptions.
After the incredible show, I caught up with a few of the MFCers I had been waiting with all evening. We all exclaimed how amazing the show was and how brilliant Mika's performance was. Some of them were plotting on where would be the best spot to try to meet Mika afterwards and personally hand him their gifts. I unfortunately really couldn't wait with them long while they decided. It was kind of late and I had a two hour trip home.
But later I found out that all of the Mika fan clubers (who were identified by their nifty flashing hearts) were allowed to join Mika and his band at the afterparty upstairs! I could have been included in the fun if only I had stayed behind. I was a little upset but I had met Mika briefly before at the NYC show. So,I wasn't extremely dissapointed. If nothing else I was really glad that the other MFCers were able to meet him - especially since this their was first show of many. :)
Sara Bareilles (opener):
I remember Sara opening for Mika at the NYC show but I'll be honest and say I didn't pay enough attention to her set then. I was too anxious to see Mika. But this time around I listened to her entire set attentively. I still wasn't very familiar with her songs. I didn't know any of the words or most of the song names but at least I could recognize a tune or two.
Sara walked onto the stage barefoot. I believe is a staple among female singer-songwriters. Every female singer-songwriter I'm marginally a fan of has performed live barefoot at least once! I'm just making an observation...maybe being barefoot relaxes the performers? Who knows..but I sense a theme.
Moving on...Sara's set last about 30 minutes, 40 at maximum. It seemed to pass by quickly which was both good and bad. I would like to have heard more from her but on the other hand I wanted Mika to come on! She sang five or seven songs. Like I said, I wasn't entirely familiar with her music but could remember a few songs played - Love Song, a song about Vegas, a song about Miles (Many The Miles) and one she introduced as Fairytale. Fairytale, I remember because she introduced it as her final song of the night.
Set list:
RELAX
BIG GIRL
MY INTERPRETATION
BILLY BROWN
ANY OTHER WORLD
STUCK IN THE MIDDLE
RING RING
SWEET DREAMS (Eurythmics cover. Just. Wow. Incredible to watch and hear live!)
HOLY JOHNNY
HAPPY ENDING (First time hearing this live. Loved it! Mika's introduced a woman onto the stage whom he only described as "a friend from London" to sing the duet with him.)
I WANT YOU BACK (Jackson 5 cover. Amazing!! Mika's vocals are really suited for this song. It was a lot of fun to hear him sing it especially with his amount of energy!)
LOVE TODAY (A favorite, favorite, favorite song of mine! So of course I loooved seeing this live again especially with a new edition to the introduction. Before singing Mika addressed the auidence and said something to the effect of "This is where we show you what we've got and you bring it back!" This introduction was incredible. Mika manically banged on an aluminum trash can. I noticed at least two or three huge gashes and dents implanted into the can using two wooden drumsticks (which I'm guessing he borrowed from his drummer, Cherisse). After attacking the poor defenseless trash can Mika turned his back to the auidence and while being carefully balanced stood on top of Cherisse's drum set. Absolutely insane!)
GRACE KELLY (Wonderful live. As it always will be!! I'm already considering this tune a classic.)
------------------------
LOLLIPOP (Same encore again only with even more energy bursting if you can believe it! There were tons of fun attributes this time including massive, almost unhealthy amounts of confetti and gigantic balloons. All of these fun additions kept crashing down over the crowd covering everything! The confetti even landed in my mouth a few times. It was also all inside my purse and hair and even down my shirt. And at times it was hard to keep up with all off the balloons. It was a bit distracting. Much of this performance is a blur to me - nothing but mulit-colored baloons bouncing around and rainbow confetti!
But despite all of the it was still quite a spectacle and an awesome way to end the show in my opinion!!
Pictures:
A few pictures I successfully managed to capture by being stealthy since cameras were strictly forbidden. The last shot taken during the finale "Lollipop" was not taken by me. I was too busy being smothered by multi-colored confetti and enormous balloons to even think about sneaking my camera out once more for a fantastic shot of the whole scene.
Set list of Mika's guitarist Michael Cho. I had to have a photo of the set list. How else was I to remember exactly what was played other than relying only on my memory or without looking like a total nerd and hand writing it all down?
My absolute favorite picture I shot that night. There's nothing like Mika being seduced by a Big Girl dancer!
For this shot I remember I actually angled my camera on the stage to be discreet. I think it turned out pretty well.
I love this shot a great deal as well! It's almost as if you can see the enegry radiating off of Mika as he performs.
In this shot on Mika's left hand , if you look closely, you can see a few traces of the glitter he was wearing on his arms shining in the stage lights.
The next three photos were taken during "Happy Ending" when Mika introduced his female friend from London to the stage to sing with him.
(This last photo was not taken by me. It was shot by mgpm of MikaFanClub.com)
The incredible finale!! You can just see the flurry of confetti and some of the sheer chaos that was going on. All of it absolutely fun!!
Video Clips:
A handful of video clips I sneaked. I got a little brave once I started snapping photos. Why wouldn't I try my hand I recording live video? I captured snippets of a few great songs performed that night. My personal favorite clip of course being Sweet Dreams. But I do also really love the ending of Billy Brown. Crowd interactions and participations are fun!
Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics cover)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZG7aFvA4FE
Billy Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZG7aFvA4FE
Stuck In the Middle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZG7aFvA4FE